Someone unfamiliar with Reggie Nelson's expressions might have thought his bright smile before the Jaguars played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday was the smile of a man given the opportunity to start again after losing it after last season.

Because of mental mistakes, missed coverages and shaky tackling, the Jaguars wanted more out of Nelson, who had been their starting safety since his rookie season. They told him so and opened up his position to whichever player would grab it.

But Nelson's mood never darkened as his team challenged him, that smile stayed where it was, and Nelson worked to regain his coaches' favor.

He seems to have done it.

Saturday night in Tampa, the Jaguars hoped to settle starting battles including the ones at safety. Nelson started and played most of three quarters with strong safety Anthony Smith.

"I felt great out there," Nelson said. "No mental mistakes or anything. That's showing progress right there without having mental mistakes or busted calls out there."

Coach Jack Del Rio declined to evaluate Nelson's performance until he saw film, and he won't name starters until today. But Nelson's progress clearly has impressed him.

"This is a young man that's responded in the right way to the challenges he's been faced with, and that's good for our football team," Del Rio said. "The more guys that respond in a positive way, the better."

Nelson had been a star at Florida as a roaming free safety. He had six interceptions during Florida's national championship season in 2006 and was a consensus first-team All-America selection.

The Jaguars drafted Nelson in the first round. He started in 15 of 16 games, led the team with five interceptions and returned those interceptions for a team-high 76 yards. Nelson also had 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a sack that season.

He faltered from there. As schemes and defensive coordinators changed, Nelson's production suffered. He has only two interceptions since his rookie year. He didn't force any fumbles in the past two seasons, had three pass breakups in 2008 and six in 2009.

Last season the Jaguars asked more of Nelson. With starter Rashean Mathis hurt, they tried him out at cornerback for the first time in his career and in nickel situations.

As he moved around the field, some saw his confidence waver. That left Nelson with a challenge this offseason.

He studied his own play, watched the mental mistakes in an effort to figure out how to fix them and worked on his tackling.

"My commitment to this team has been outstanding from my point of view," Nelson said. "That's what I've been working on all offseason, just trying to get down our defense and learning the looks and getting that down pat."

Nelson played nearly the whole game in the Jaguars' first preseason game, one in which the starters played just a few series. He made some positive plays, such as a pass defensed in the end zone. He also made some very visible negative ones, such as a diving whiff on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick as Vick ran for a touchdown.

But with the passing weeks, Del Rio saw improvement.

"He's been more disciplined with his eyes," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "He's really worked at the tackling. He's playing better. He's an improving football player."

Nelson feels that way, too.

Back with the first team against the Bucs, he made four solo tackles and didn't make many highlight-inducing mistakes. It felt good to start again, but Nelson remains cautious.

"I mean that don't mean anything that I started tonight, to tell you the truth," Nelson said. "... Only thing I gotta do is just keep doing little things right and at the end of the preseason then you know, it'll be up to the coaching staff to make that decision."

I think Reggie's biggest failing was not realizing that he may have been a star playing in Gainesville but out in the real world he was merely a glimmer on the horizon, if that. He believed his press. He was ready! Didn't need any help. Well, he had and has a lot to learn. If he will buckle down and learn his assignments, where he belongs on a play, learn to tackle (if he ever does), he may be a plus to the Jaguars. If he continues to miss tackles, is out of position, seems to be lost out there? Then its bye bye Reggie. Its been good to know you.

I'm not a hater of this kid, nor am I a big fan, so I'll try to be fair in my comments. It's no surprise that the last few years have left a lot to be desired in his preparation and play. However, the article did make a good point in that watching the game on Saturday night, I can't say that (unlike other years and games) I constantly had to hold my head wondering what the kid was thinking from his FS position, missing assignments, tackles, etc. There was one poor angle taken on the first play (where Cox fell down) that led to a long run after the catch, but of course, you don't expect that your DB is going to fall down, so some of the blame for not being in the right position certainly falls on Cox's shoulders. All-in-all, it was a positive improvement that I did not seem to hear Nelson's name called by the announcers as having been a liability in the defensive backfield. Will he return to his rookie season with multiple interceptions and pass deflections? Who knows. If he can just avoid getting burned and put himself in good position to make a tackle when we need one, then I'll be satisfied.

Good luck, Nelson, kick some ***** this year. It's all about preparation - the more you do, the better you'll play.